Team Neemopani
English football coach and former player Ashley Cole has named Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo as his toughest opponent in his career, following his induction into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
The Premier League has announced that former Chelsea and Arsenal star Cole will be part of the inductees into the 2024 Premier League Hall of Fame.
Cole described Ronaldo as a “complete footballer,” describing the Al-Nassr forward as such.
He also mentioned how the former ManU player, who came from Sporting CP, adjusted to English top-tier football quickly.
The former athlete added that he had “nightmares on the pitch” from Ronaldo.
Cole said, “I hold a lot of respect for Cristiano Ronaldo, and throughout the years, we’ve had some battles.”
He was somewhat an enigma of sorts when he first landed in the Premier League, quickly learning what it was going to take to be a premier player. Always game for change and growing to turn himself into a machine in an attempt to become the greatest player in the world. “All was his. He claimed to be able to leap, jump, head a ball, dribble, dash behind, and move both inside and outside. “I say this because he kept on giving me nightmares, but we tried to sort things out, and sometimes we managed it to get the better of one another. What I can’t think of without shuddering is the day he made me do the splits [during Ronaldo’s inaugural Premier League season, 2003-04].”
